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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats played their first game at the Guelph stadium — where they'll be for the next year, while Hamilton works to rebuild the team's home in the city.

Guelph opened up their city and welcomed fans — changing messages on the front of their city busses to read "Go Cats Go," and hoisting maroon, black and yellow flags to fly on street posts on Gordon Street.

A sea of black and yellow didn't fill all 13,000 seats in Alumni stadium, but it was pretty jam-packed. "Eat 'em raw" cheers still erupted, and yellow and black foam hands still waved to cheer on the 'home team.'

A couple of Ticats fans who made the trek from Hamilton also have local Guelph connections.

Ed Fothergill and his daughter, Brittany, sat in the shade to enjoy slices of pizza before kickoff. In a Ticats jersey and with a yellow "TC" painted on her cheek, Brittany said she's from Hamilton, like her dad, but is a University of Guelph student.

Fothergill, who has been a season-ticket holder for more than 15 years, hopes holding the games in Guelph for the season might build up the fan base. The Hamiltonians' seats are on the stadium's east side — in the temporary stands. Fothergill said he'd like to be on the other side, but it's fine for one year.

Doris Conroy has been a fan of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats since before they were named that. A fan since 1946, she remembers when the Hamiton Tigers merged with the Hamilton Wildcats to become the team the 88-year-old has had season tickets to since the 1990s.

The Conroy family holds 12 season tickets, said Doris' daughter, Gwen.

The mother-daughter duo, who wore crocheted tigers on their beige hats and Ticat jerseys, said they drove in early to avoid traffic on the way in, and will be staying at a Holiday Inn so they don't catch it on the way home.

For fans who arrived early, Highway 6 didn't seem to have any more congestion than usual.

Signs along Gordon directed spectators to parking — the single game fees were $20 for the prime spots across the street from one of the stadium's entrances, and $10 for some of the spots a bit farther away. The cheaper spots, located west of Gordon on College and on South Ring Road, were about a 10-minute walk from at least one of the stadium's four entrances.

Food, beverage and merchandise vendors lined three sides of the stadium, selling everything from pizza to corn on the cob to beer. Before the game and during, none of the vendors had lineups of more than a few people.

The same could be said of the ticket lineup. And the rows of portable toilets. In fact, football fans didn't have to wait for anything, really.

Five minutes to game time, traffic slowed on College and on Gordon as cars tried to find list minute parking, but it wasn't any more backed up than what could be expected after a Bulldogs game or a concert at Copps

Brian Burt and his wife Tammy have been season ticket holders for seven years. Sporting a black and gold face mask, he said the drive to Guelph doesn't bother him because he knows it's only temporary.

The Tiger-Cats play their next game in Guelph Sunday July 7 against the Edmonton Eskimos at 5 p.m.